# Urban County Council - March 12, 2026 > Auto-transcribed civic record · Council · March 12, 2026 - **Permalink**: https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6720 - **Source video**: https://lfucg.granicus.com/player/clip/6720?view_id=14&redirect=true - **Date**: 2026-03-12 - **Body**: Council - **Last revised**: March 20, 2026 - **Length**: 13,360 words - **Speakers**: Mayor > ⚠️ **Auto-generated content.** Audio from the official Granicus video was auto-transcribed by OpenAI Whisper-1, with speaker labels folded in from Granicus closed-captioning. Structured facts were extracted with GPT-4o; the narrative summary was written by Anthropic Claude Sonnet. Speaker labels and verbatim wording may contain errors. See [methodology](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/about/methodology) or [report a correction](mailto:editor@lexingtonky.news). --- ## Meeting Overview The Urban County Council met on March 12, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers in Lexington, KY, with Mayor Gorton presiding. The meeting included 2 agenda items, 2 votes, and 2 public comments. The council received one informational presentation on a Science Fair and approved one ordinance related to Fire Prevention. ## Attendance All 15 council members were present at the March 12, 2026 Council meeting. No members were absent or late. **Members Present:** - Beasley - Boone - Brown - Curtis - Eblen - Ellinger - Elliott Baxter - Hale - Higgins-Hord - Lynch - Morton - Reynolds - Sevigny - Sheehan - Wu ## Votes and Decisions Two items came to a vote during the March 12, 2026 Council meeting. - **Ordinance 0142-26** — An Ordinance creating Section 9-2.1 of the Code of Ordinances relating to fire prevention. [timestamp: 54:32] Ms. Elliott Baxter moved adoption and Ms. Curtis provided the second. The ordinance passed unanimously on a roll call vote of **14–0**, with no abstentions. The following members voted in favor: Curtis, Eblen, Ellinger, Elliott Baxter, Hale, Higgins-Hord, Lynch, Reynolds, Sevigny, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, and Brown. No members voted against. - **Resolution 0098-26** — A Resolution authorizing a Ground Lease Agreement with Social Impact Solar LLC. [timestamp: 1:20:55] Mr. Morton moved the resolution and Ms. Curtis seconded. Rather than proceeding to a final vote, the Council approved postponement of the resolution by voice vote. The item has been **postponed to March 26, 2026**. ## Budget and Financial Actions The Council addressed two financial items at the March 12, 2026 meeting, totaling nearly $3 million in combined expenditures and grant funding. - **Resolution 0109-26** authorized a contract agreement with Atlantic Emergency Solutions Inc. for the purchase of a Custom Pierce Enforcer Heavy Duty Rescue Pumper at a cost of **$1,960,731**. This acquisition represents a significant capital equipment investment, likely intended to support emergency response capabilities. - **Resolution 0123-26** accepted a supplemental grant in the amount of **$990,202** designated for the East Hickman Pump Station Expansion and Rehabilitation Project. This grant funding is intended to support infrastructure improvements at the East Hickman facility. ## Public Comment Two members of the public addressed the Council during the public comment period, both speaking in opposition to a proposed solar project. [timestamp: 22:55] - **James Newberry** opened public comment by raising concerns about the impact of the solar project on the Lexington Model Airplane Club's facility. [timestamp: 22:55] - **Curtis Adams** followed, speaking to the historical significance of the Lexington Model Airplane Club and the benefits it provides to the community. [timestamp: 26:10] Both speakers focused their remarks on the potential effects the solar project could have on the Lexington Model Airplane Club, with Newberry emphasizing facility-related impacts and Adams highlighting the club's broader community and historical value. ## Appointments The Council took action on two appointments during the March 12, 2026 meeting. - **Joe Bryant** was appointed to the **Access Lexington Commission**. - **Joyce Parks** was reappointed to the **Charles Young Neighborhood Center Board**. ## Contested Items **Solar Project at Haley Pike Landfill** The proposed solar project at the Haley Pike Landfill drew community opposition during the meeting. Members of the Lexington Model Airplane Club were among those who spoke out against the project, citing concerns about the impact the development would have on their facility. The nature of the specific objections raised and the outcome of the discussion are not reflected in the available meeting data. ## Science Fair Presentation **Agenda Item 0175-26** [timestamp: 08:20] The Council recognized winners of the Kentucky American Water-Fayette County Public Schools Science Fair through a certificate presentation ceremony. Key participants in the presentation included Mayor Gorton, Rob Burton, and Ellen Williams. Certificates were presented to the science fair winners as part of this recognition. The item was informational in nature, with no vote or legislative action taken. ## Ordinance on Fire Prevention [timestamp: 54:32] The Council took up agenda item **0142-26**, an ordinance to adopt provisions of the **2024 International Fire Code** pertaining to carbon monoxide detection. Key speakers on this item were **Ms. Elliott Baxter** and **Ms. Curtis**. The ordinance was approved by the Council. *Note: The available data for this agenda item does not include details on the specific arguments presented, any concerns raised during debate, or the vote breakdown. A full account of the discussion can be found in the meeting video beginning at timestamp 54:32.* --- ## Decisions - **Ordinance 0142-26** — passed (14-0): An Ordinance creating Section 9-2.1 of the Code of Ordinances relating to fire prevention. - **Resolution 0098-26** — postponed (0-0): A Resolution authorizing a Ground Lease Agreement with Social Impact Solar LLC. --- ## Full transcript ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Are there any corrections or additions? All right, all those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? Aye. All right, that motion passes. Thank you. Now, tonight, we have our wonderful, big science fair presentation. We do this every year, and it's a big evening, so we'll do that now. If you have not been here for this, you're in for some real excitement. And we have a special opportunity this evening to honor the winners of the Kentucky American Water Fayette County Public Schools Science Fair, which is celebrating its 41st anniversary this year. This is coordinated by Fayette County Public Schools, and this year's fair was held on February 7th at Frederick Douglass High School. About 600 public, private, and homeschooled students in grades 4 through 12 participated. Our Kentucky American representatives here this evening, and I will ask them to join me because they're good at shepherding the kids, are Kentucky American's president, Rob Burton, welcome, and Ellen Williams, government relations lobbyist, welcome, welcome. And we really thank them because Kentucky American sponsors this science fair. Also here representing Fayette County Public Schools is David Helm, science instructional specialist with the Office of Teaching and Learning. Welcome. Now you all can come up. Go to work. Rob says he's going to work. We also welcome all the students, parents, and friends, and there are many here tonight. We have so many winners and proud parents tonight that we are breaking them into three groups, elementary for grades 4 and 5, middle for grades 6 through 8, and high school. We have a certificate for every participant here tonight, and parents and children will be able to retrieve those downstairs in the lobby. So now we have our 4th and 5th graders. Come on in. So these are our 4th and 5th graders. These are our beginning scientists, and we're really excited for you. So when I say your school, will you raise your hands so that we can see where you go to school? Okay. Here we go. These elementary students represent Athens Childsburg. Anybody from Athens Childsburg? Brenda Cowan. Cassidy. Yeah. Christ the King School. Clay's Mill. Fayette County Home Schools. Garden Springs. Garrett Morgan. Julius Marks. Liberty. Metathorpe. Rye STEM Academy. We have a council member raising her hand. Rosa Parks. Sandersville. Scapa. Tate's Creek. Veterans Park. And Wellington. Did I miss anybody's school? So let's give them all a hand. Applause. So congratulations to all of you. Now we're going to scoot you way back and get a picture with the council. All right. Ready, guys? One, two, three. Congratulations. Applause. As our elementary students and probably their parents exit, we're bringing in our middle school students. They'll be in in just a minute. Okay. While our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are coming in, I want you to know how inspiring it is to see so many creative young people interested in science. We're going to put our Kentucky American folks on the payroll, I think. They're doing all the work. We want to congratulate our middle school science fair winners, and we are all very proud of you and your efforts. And when I say your school, will you raise your hand? We are represented here by students who attend Beaumont, Bryan Station, Edith J. Hayes, Fayette County Home Schools, Lee's Town, Lexington Christian Academy, Lexington Universal Academy, Morton, Scapa, Seton Catholic, Southern, Tate's Creek, The Lexington School, Trinity Christian Academy, and Winburn. Congratulations to all of you. Now we're going to get a photo with the council. Quick, when I say 3, say 4. 3, 2, 1. Great job. Thank you. All right, next up we'll be bringing in our high school winners. Welcome. All right, our science fair winners from the high school level are with us, and when I say your school name, will you give us a wave so we know where you're from? We have Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Lexington Catholic, STEAM Academy, and we congratulate each and every one of you, our high school science fair winners. Let's give them a hand. So before we take our photo with council, I want to congratulate each and every one of you, and thanks again to Kentucky American Water for the Kentucky American Fayette County Public Schools Science Fair, and to all the educators, the parents, the students, and everyone who participated. So now let's get our photo. All right, you guys ready? 1, 2, 3. Good job. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you all very much. Next up is public comment for issues on the agenda, and we have several people signed up. The first thing I would like to do is we have a few people who are going to yield their time to others, so I just would like to confirm that everybody's here. Let's see. Jeff Cummings, are you here? And you are yielding your time to Curtis Adams, correct? Okay. Is Eli Fuller here? Are you yielding your time to Curtis Adams? Okay, thank you. And then is John Royalty here? Okay. And are you yielding your time to Chris Chapman? Okay. And then William Cloyd? Are you yielding to Keith Holifield? Okay. And then Ray Davis? Keith Holifield? You're yielding your time? Okay. And then is Dana Fuller here? Okay. And are you yielding time to Mickey Brewing? Yes? Okay, very good. Now, the way this works is that I will call your name, and I'll call two or three of you so you can kind of queue up, if you will. And you'll come to the podium, and you'll need to restate your name for the record and also state your council district. And you'll have three minutes, except if you were yielded time. So first up is James Newberry, and following James is Curtis Adams, who will have nine minutes, and then we'll go from there. Welcome. Good evening, everybody. My name is James Newberry. I am from District 12. Don't get me confused with the guy on the wall. Same name. But I'm a member of the Lexington Model Airplane Club, and we're going to be discussing this evening the solar panel project. I serve on the board of directors of the Lexington Model Airplane Club as a flying instructor. And my most rewarding time in the Model Airplane Club has been teaching our youth, including my grandson, the principles of model aviation flying. And in fact, our vice president of our club was just recognized as a middle school participant in the science fair. And so we have a participation of our youth in our club. I am concerned that many of you may not understand the impact this project will have on our club's flying facility at the landfill. Some of you may not even know that it will destroy our facility at the landfill. We have built that facility over the 26 years that we've leased that plan from the city of Lexington, and we've built it through sweat equity. Now we are being forced, I hope not, but possibly being forced to vacate. And so far we have not received any help from the city of Lexington. This is the third location we've been evicted from. First, it was Kearney Golf Course. Second, Masterson Station. And now, potentially, where we're currently at. In each of those relocations, we did receive help from the city in relocating. And I pray that that will happen again if we're forced to leave. This club has been a part of the fabric of this community since almost the time that I was born, back in the 1950s. So it's been in existence for nearly 70 years. I am deeply saddened about this. What is most troubling is the fact that those involved in the project have not helped us, and in fact, have mostly ignored us. I plead that the city leaders do not let this happen to us. I urge the council to do one of a couple things. Leave us where we are and do not approve this proposal. Or, postpone your vote tonight and have the city work with us to come up with an agreeable solution. Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I appreciate your time tonight and I thank you. Thank you. I'm so sorry. The council rules say no clapping, no booing, no shouting, no signs that will impede anybody's vision. So if you will please follow the council rules. Next up is Curtis Adams, who has nine minutes. Welcome. Thank you, ma'am. I'm Curtis Adams, 12th District. I want to speak to you just a little bit about the club and some other issues. Sir, can you raise your mic? Yes, ma'am, sure can. Thank you. How about them cats? How about them? Okay. Good evening, Mayor, council. I'm Curtis Adams. Thank you for allowing me to speak. I've been a member with LMAC for over 40 years. This club has been in existence in Fayette County for 50 plus years. We've had support from LFUCG and we appreciate that support. As you are aware, the solar proposal will take away our airfield. This action is being taken, it seems, with little to no regard for the Lexington Model Airplane Club. This club has been a responsible asset to the city and surrounding area for a long time. We've trained numerous kids and adults to fly. This training not only teaches them to fly, but many technical aspects of aircraft and aerodynamics, as well as a working knowledge of electronics. I have a grandson who spent six years in the Air Force. He joined the Air Force because of what he learned as a kid flying model airplanes. He is now earning his commercial pilot's certificate because he got into model aviation as a kid. This field and its members have provided air shows for the public for over 20 consecutive years. These shows have generated revenue to allow for field improvements and donations to local charities. We have donated to organizations such as Cardinal Hill, Kids Cancer Alliance, Make-A-Wish Foundation, sponsored kids to the aviation camps at the museum. We've also worked with local schools to help teach kids about model aircraft and STEM programs. I hope this project doesn't wind up like a lot of questionable projects do, abandoned. What happens when solar farms are no longer viable? Will it become a wasteland and an eyesore? The landfill could be used for many other purposes that could coexist with model airplanes, such as walking trails, biking, passive-use park, model rockets, and many other uses. This solar farm is taking a field that we, along with the city, have invested many thousands of dollars into making it one of the best model airfields in the country. If this project is approved, I would hope the City Council would do everything in their power to replace what we have. As recently as last year, we spent money to repair the pavilion, including structural work and roof replacement. I'm told this solar project has been in the works for a year and a half. Had we known about the solar project, we wouldn't have spent money for these repairs. I would hope the city would work with LMAC to acquire a new location and replace our existing amenities. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Next is Chesley Fuller, followed by Theodore Payne. Welcome. Hi, good evening. I'm Ches Fuller. I'm District 12 also. I did not come with a speech. I didn't come with a laptop. Last minute, I decided to put my name on the list to speak tonight. But really, I want to focus on what the Model Airplane Club means to me, my family, and what I think it means to the community. My son's back here. He's 15. We've been flying out there since he was about nine. He's currently looking at possibly a career in aviation, getting a commercial pilot's license. I would like to think that some of the things that we do has rubbed off on my daughter. She's at UK right now in a structural engineering degree. Actually, what kind of informed us about the Model Airplane Club is we have a neighbor who manages and owns a company that manages private aviation, private jets. And in talking to him, he got his start as a child out at the Model Airplane Club with his father. And so, I mean, I think the idea here is it doesn't affect everyone in our community, but it affects people in the community more than they know. I would also say what Curtis was saying is, you know, we spend a lot of money out there. The club, I'm sure the city helped build. We have a 650-foot runway out there. I don't know, a 45 by 45 shelter out there. We've seen the maps of the solar farm that appears to be, of course, right over the top of what we have out there. We've put lots of money into it, lots of effort. Probably from the clapping earlier we're not allowed to do, we found out that probably over half the people in the room here are probably here on behalf of the Model Airplane Club. And they're all concerned about the same things we have. I'm not for or against solar. I'm just looking at it from the perspective of, you know, Lexington doesn't have a lot of the things other cities have where they have a zoo and they have amusement parks. You know, this gives something for the people in the community to do. It's been, I'd say, low or no cost to the city to do so up until this point. And I think a city this size needs things like this for its citizens to participate in. All right. Thank you all. Thank you very much. Next is Theodore Payne. Welcome. Hello. My name is Theodore Payne and I am from District 8. I am an eighth grader at Leestown Middle School in their pre-engineering program. I won first place for regional engineering for middle school at the regional science fair. And I'm also a member of the Civil Air Patrol. But probably most importantly, I am the vice president of the Lexington Model Airplane Club. As VP, I've only been VP for about two and a half months now. But I've already learned definitely at least one very valuable life lesson. And that is speak up. And that's exactly what we're doing here tonight. If you have any ideas whatsoever, there's no such thing as a stupid idea. If you have any ideas, something that you love is in jeopardy. Speak up. And that's why we're here tonight. Back when I was in training, my trainer, his name is Terry Booth, he's not here tonight. He taught me everything I know about model airplanes, how to fly it, what they're made of, everything. He also taught me one really cool fact. Most people think this is stable. If you make your wings like this, that's actually more stable. I've won quite a few competitions with that. So at the Lexington Model Airplane Club, we host five events each year. We host an annual swap meet. At my very first swap meet, I bought my first model airplane that didn't come straight out of the box and you could fly it. I have to actually track down the parts, and it's been so much fun trying to put it together. I also sold concessions and raised $100 for the Aviation Museum of Kentucky right here at Bluegrass Airport. With the Aviation Museum, I've been getting much, much more involved, and I'm actually going to docent over the summer, and I worked at the Santa Fly-In back in December. It's also, this hobby is not a solo hobby. I fly with my grandpa. We're both STEM people. This is the only STEM, this is the only park facility in Lexington that is a STEM facility. None others in Lexington. My grandfather and I, we have been flying for quite some time, and we do practically everything together now. It's been an amazing chance for us to bond, and my best friend, Austin, I invited him out there. He wants to join the club too. It's growing very rapidly, and it's home to over 130 members, including seniors, veterans, and children. So it's done so much for me, for all these gentlemen and ladies out here in the club, and it truly is one of the most valuable assets to the Lexington community. Thank you. Thank you very much. Next is Chris Chapman, and he will have six minutes. He'll be followed by Mickey Bruning. I may have mass-curred that. Sorry. Welcome, Chris. Hi. Good evening. My name is Chris Chapman from District 10. So you just heard from a 12-year-old, young 13, sorry. Humor me for a second. You just heard from a 12-year-old young man, and the reason I say that is I joined LMAC, Lexington Model Airplane Club, when I was 12 years old, a couple, 38 years ago. So like him, I fly with my dad, and I fly with my son. So the three of us have enjoyed flying together for probably 15 years. It has brought us a lot closer together. It's been an amazing experience. My son couldn't be here tonight, but he really wanted to come and help support. My involvement with LMAC and the flying park that we enjoy really inspired me to become an engineer, and that really was my inspiration for all kinds of hobbies like this. So you've heard a lot of benefits from Model Airplane Club in the community, like all of our charities that we have been able to donate to. What I'd like you to do, two things. One, like was mentioned, work with us to develop a solution that allows us to continue flying. And two, I invite you to come out. See what we're all about. And I did talk to my son earlier. He said, hey, I've got an extra trainer plane. It's ready to go. He will give that to you to use to learn to fly. Come on out. See what we're about. It's an amazing experience. Some of you, probably more than a handful, will be hooked for life. I was. Thank you. Thank you. Next, Mickey, you'll need to pronounce your last name for us when you say it. Welcome. Brunig, you probably did a better job of pronouncing it than I do. Welcome. My name is Michael Brunig. I am the president of Lexington Model Airplane Club. I've tried to contact most of the council members, and I've actually had a response from a few. So thank you. Our facility is a self-sustaining park facility. The entire facility is maintained by the supported dues, volunteer club labor, and donations. This couldn't be any better for the city. We not only offer a place to enjoy the hobby, but we also offer technical training to anyone that wishes to learn aviation principles, all free of charge. Many of the people out there are youth with dreams of a future in aviation, engineering, or other technical careers. As a matter of fact, two of the youth members we have mentored are at UK becoming commercial pilots as we speak. Another, our vice president, which you just met, we may not create the dreams, but we do fuel the dreams of the youth today. We have events that bring pilots in from not only surrounding area, but also out of state. These pilots rent hotel rooms, they go out to eat, spend money in the Lexington economy. We've offered all this to the Lexington community for well over 50 years as a park facility. I realize that renewable energy is important to you, and you've reopened the issue of large-scale solar on farmland. So that's a different opportunity for the city to actually reach its renewable energy goals. On November 6th of 2024, the voters in Fayette County voted to preserve and expand the city park's facilities. They not only voted to preserve and expand, but they also said they were willing to pay for it. That tax referendum went into effect January 1st of this year. The $8 million per year that the voters are willing to pay to preserve the park's facilities is much more than the $30,000 per year Edlin Renewables is willing to pay to close one. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Keith Hollifield, who will have nine minutes, followed by Mickey Brewing. No relation, I guess. Are you signed up twice? He told me that I wasn't signed up. Oh, okay. It's okay. It's no problem. Okay, so Keith Hollifield, nine minutes, will be followed by Dana Fuller. Welcome. Thank you all. Thank you all. Good evening, Mayor Gorton and council members. My name is Keith Hollifield. And I want to present to you tonight a vision that is compatible with the stories you've heard tonight, but maybe a little bit bigger than what you expected. I've been working with Newton's Attic for about 11 years. And I've been helping grow our hands-on STEM programs and our Robot Gladiator League engineering competition that brings students from across Kentucky together to design and build combat robots. Some of you are already familiar with Newton's Attic. So a few of you have visited with your families. And, Mayor Gorton, as we discussed earlier, you came to one of our Robot Gladiator events at Dunbar High School. These programs are part of the work that I help lead. And for transparency, I should also note that while I'm not currently a member of the Lexington Model Airplane Club, I served as its president in 2002, only a few years after the current site was developed. So I was there near the beginning and understand the original intent behind selecting that location and building the aviation infrastructure that exists there today. I'm here tonight because that infrastructure represents something rare that may not be fully visible within the broader solar discussion. For more than 65 years in Lexington and for more than 25 years at the Haley Pike site, the Lexington Model Airplane Club and its family members have served as a community aviation organization where people share technical skills, mentor younger enthusiasts, and explore the science of flight. Over those decades, many members have worked at some of Lexington's leading employers, IBM, Lexmark, Toyota, and the University of Kentucky, along with business owners, pilots, and aviation professionals. And they will tell you that their involvement in this organization has benefited not only their recreational lives, but also their careers, their children's education, and in many cases, even the career paths that their children eventually choose. For more than 25 years, the club has developed and maintained a full aviation facility at the Haley Pike location. The paved runway, the grass runway, drainage systems, electrical service, and access improvements represent hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment and thousands of hours of volunteer work. In many ways, this site already functions as something Lexington rarely gets, a community asset created and maintained almost entirely through volunteer effort. But beyond the physical infrastructure, the site carries an extremely important designation. It is recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as a FRIA, that is a Federally Recognized Identification Area. FRIA sites were established when the FAA implemented new remote identification rules for aircraft a few years ago. Existing flying sites across the country were cataloged and recognized so aviation activity could continue under those new regulations. In other words, the FAA looked across the country and said, these are the places where aviation activity already exists and we recognize them so they can continue operating. Creating new FRIA sites today is significantly more difficult. And in many cases, it may simply never happen again. So if a site like this disappears, it is not simply a matter of rebuilding a runway somewhere else. The regulatory pathway that allowed this site to exist may disappear with it. Once it is gone, it may be gone permanently. And I want to share a personal note about why places like this matter. I am not a degreed engineer, but much of my technical knowledge, creativity and confidence that I bring to my work today grew out of experiences at the Lexington Model Airplane Club. It was a place where curiosity turned into hands-on learning, where you didn't just talk about engineering or aviation, you actually built things, tested them and learned from the results. My older son, Derek, is now a junior at Purdue studying aerospace engineering. The spark for that interest can be directly attributed to the existence of this community asset. In fact, some of the software hobbyists use to design model aircraft is now being used in his university aerospace engineering program. So the passion, the knowledge being shared at this site is real, it is relevant and it does matter in the broader aerospace industry. And Kentucky's aerospace industry is now the largest export sector in the state, supporting more than 23,000 jobs with an average salary of $81,000 per year. What we are proposing tonight is not opposition to solar development. Instead, we are proposing a shared use concept called the Lexington Aerospace and Innovation Campus. This concept would preserve approximately 54 acres of the existing aviation infrastructure while allowing the majority of the property to proceed with solar development. That is about 15% of the acreage in the proposed lease. This would create a unique STEM education facility operated through Newton's Attic in partnership with the Lexington Model Airplane Club, a place for student programs, mentorship, workforce exploration and aerospace education using infrastructure that already exists. Many communities across the country are building solar farms on vacant land or brownfield sites. This is not unusual. But a city-supported STEM education campus built around an FAA-recognized aviation facility and operating alongside renewable energy infrastructure, that is something special. That kind of project reflects vision, it reflects leadership, and it creates opportunities for students and educators that extend far beyond the boundaries of the property. The city's financial risk in taking a little more time to explore this opportunity is relatively small. The lease value associated with this portion of the land is a few thousand dollars a year. But the educational and workforce potential of preserving the site could benefit Lexington for generations. Newton's Attic is prepared to work with the city to ensure that the lease revenue associated with this portion of the land is replaced while long-term partnerships and funding opportunities are explored. Let me say that again, the city doesn't lose a dime. I recognize that questions may be raised, and were raised earlier, about the compatibility of flying aircraft near solar panels, including the possibility of an aircraft impact, and those are reasonable questions. But this chamber is not the place to work through those technical details, and the risks like that can often be mitigated through thoughtful design, operating rules, and cooperating agreements. Which is exactly why taking a little time to examine the idea before dismissing it is so important. I also want to acknowledge that the proposal before UNITE represents a significant private investment opportunity, and I respect the effort that has gone into bringing it forward. But the purpose of this process is not simply to enable private investment. The purpose of this process is to determine how this property can provide the greatest long-term benefit to the community. Private investment will naturally produce returns for the private investors involved. The Council's responsibility is to ensure that the public return for the City of Lexington is equally strong. And that's why I believe it is worth taking a little more time to examine whether a cooperative approach could create a much greater benefit for the community. I believe that with good-faith discussion between the City, the developer, and the organizations involved, it will be possible to design a solution where solar development and aerospace education co-exist on this property and produce a much greater public benefit than either one alone. Given the significance of this opportunity and the fact that this proposal represents new information that has not yet been explored, I respectfully ask the Council to delay the second reading of the Community Benefits Agreement for the Solar Panel Project and allow staff or committees to review whether this shared-use approach is feasible. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Dana Fuller, where are you? So we had a little glitch with two sign-ups that were really the same person. Would you like to speak on your own? Sure. Okay, welcome. That's all right. Welcome. Good evening. Thank you for having us. My name is Dana Fuller, and I am a wife and mom of two of the Lexington Model Airplane Club members, and I'm here to support them tonight and just to give you just a glimpse into our home of airplanes. We have a garage full and also decorations in our home. over our fireplace mantle with big, giant jets and airplanes, which I enjoy, actually. And so I remember when Eli was nine years old, and he would go out to the airfield to train with Mr. Jeff. And we still have that trainer plane, if you need a second one, if anyone wants to come actually out to the airfield and train. We have extra ones also. But Chess and Eli have also built stands for the vehicles to fit more airplanes inside the vehicle when they go out to the airfield, which is a less than 15 minute drive from our home. And they enjoy many afternoons of sunshine and just special time together, his father and son out there at the airfield. And we have formed so many friendships and just connections through our time out there. I'll go take pictures and videos. I've probably got thousands of those on my phone just from their last several years out there. But I would just encourage that this is an important place, a special place for many of these people. And I hope that even as you think through all that you've heard tonight, that it is just understood how important this is to so many people and that they'll have a place to continue to go and continue the Lexington Model Airplane Club traditions in the future. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you to all of you. I know you're very passionate about this. And I want to ask my CAO Sally Hamilton to come up to the podium, because I think there's room for some more conversation about this. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. So what I think I sense a lot of folks up here, including myself, would like to know is if we can have some more conversation surrounding this issue. Well, if it's the will of the mayor and the council, what I'll do is I'll start to look, meet with certain people that are appropriate, and look at ways that we can perhaps solve this situation. I think I'd be good at this model airplane stuff. But I'll be glad to delve into that right away. I think that would be wonderful. I get a big sense of yes from up here. And I appreciated my conversation with Keith. And I know that someone who is with Commissioner Albright did have conversation with some folks from the club. But it seems like there's more opportunity. Yes, and Mayor, I won't be involved in delaying any of the solar issues. I'm just trying to work on finding a place or resolving what we can do. Yes, because you want to join this club. Yes. All right, all right. Thank you very much. I have a lot of compatriots out here I can see. Thank you very much. Okay, thank you. And again, thank you to all of you. We do have some folks who want to speak later in the meeting about items not on the agenda. So we appreciate all of you coming tonight. So that brings us to second reading of ordinances. Item one, an ordinance creating section 92.1 of the Code of Ordinance of the Lexington Fair Urban County Government relating to fire prevention to adopt and incorporate certain provisions of the 2024 International Fire Code establishing required standards for carbon monoxide detection, including the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in existing buildings effective 180 days following the passage of council. Item two, an ordinance amending section 12.1C of the Code of Ordinances of the Lexington Fair Urban County Government relating to the adoption of the International Property Maintenance Code to adopt and incorporate additional provisions establishing required standards for carbon monoxide detection, including the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in existing single and multifamily dwellings, which shall be effective 180 days following the passage of council. Item three, an ordinance changing the zone from a single-family residential R1B zone to a mixed low-density residential R2 zone for 3.67 net, 3.48 gross acres for property located at 2914 Clay's Mill Road, Daly Homes, LLC, Council District 10. Item four, an ordinance changing the zone from a single-family residential R1E zone to a planned neighborhood residential R3 zone to a neighborhood business B1 zone for a 0.51 net, 0.61 gross acre property located at 118 Montmelon Street, 121 and 123 Pearl Street in a portion of 545 through 549 and 553 South Limestone Street subtext Acquisition, LLC, Council District 3. Item five, an ordinance amending certain of the budgets of the Lexington Fair Urban County Government to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures and appropriating funds fiscal year 2026, schedule number 26. And item six, excuse me, an ordinance amending section 287A of the code of ordinance related to the Mesterson Station Park Advisory Board to amend the membership as follows, removing Bracktown Neighborhood Association and Lexington Youth Soccer Association and adding Bracktown Neighborhood and a designated representative of an entity that provides programming at the Mesterson Station Park Eastside Soccer Complex and further amending section 287D of the code of ordinances to allow members of the board to serve an indefinite number of terms effective the following passage of council. Thank you. Thank you very much. Is there a motion to approve? Move for a second. All right. And when you're ready, if you'll take a roll call vote, please. Council Member Curtis. Yes, ma'am. Council Member Eblen. Yes, ma'am. Council Member Ellinger. Yes, ma'am. Council Member Elliot Baxter. Yes, ma'am. Council Member Hale. Yes. Council Member Higgins-Hord. Yes, ma'am. Council Member Lynch. Yes. Council Member Morton. Council Member Reynolds. Yes. Council Member Savigny. Yes. Council Member Sheehan. Yes. Vice Mayor Wu. Yes. Council Member Beasley. Yes, ma'am. Council Member Boone. Yes, ma'am. And Council Member Brown. Yes. Thank you. All right, thank you. Those all pass. And now it's time for first reading of ordinances. Item seven. An ordinance amending section 161C-19 and 161F-78 of the Code of Ordinances of the Lexington-Fayette-Urban County Government adopting and incorporating a maintenance manual for post-construction stormwater controls as an engineering manual for infrastructure in Lexington-Fayette County. Item eight. An ordinance declaring a portion of Shaker Drive starting at its intersection with Harrisburg Road and ending at the entrance to the Harrisburg Square condominiums property to be dedicated to the Lexington-Fayette-Urban County Government as a public way and accepting dedication. Item nine. An ordinance amending some of the budgets of the Lexington-Fayette-Urban County Government to reflect current requirements for municipal expenditures and appropriating funds. FY 2026, schedule number 25. And item 10. An ordinance amending the author's strength by creating one classified position of accountant senior grade 524E in the Department of Housing Advocacy and Community Development effective upon passage of council. Thank you. All right, thank you. Are there any walk-ons, council members? Are there any motions to suspend the rules and give second reading? Nope, okay. Then we are ready to move right along to second reading of resolutions. Item one. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute agreements related to the council capital project expenditure funds with Wise Guys Urban Uplift Foundation LLC, $13,072. Lexington History Museum Incorporated, $1,500 and Levy Collective Incorporated, $8,000 for the office of the urban county council to cause not to receive the sum stated. Item two. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute a one year agreement with Cumulus Radio Lexington, Kentucky to provide rounds of golf at golf courses owned by the urban county government at no charge in exchange for radio advertising for the golf courses from the date of execution through October 31, 2026. Item three. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute the necessary documents with Wastequip Manufacturing Company LLC for dumpster units at a cost not to exceed $33,845.66. Item four. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute project services agreement with Everest Labs to participate in a national study on the aluminum container capture freight for the Division of Waste Management at no cost to the urban county government, item five. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute an agreement with Atlantic Emergency Solutions Incorporated for a custom pierce enforcer heavy duty rescue pumper at a cost not to exceed $1,960,731. Item six. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute an amendment to the agreement with Arbor Youth Services Incorporated in order to adjust the budget and further authorizing the mayor to execute any other amendments with Arbor Youth Services Incorporated related to the agreement, item seven. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute and submit a grant application to the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Waste Management to provide any additional information in connection with this grant application and to accept this grant if awarded which grant funds are in the amount of $110,000 in support of a household hazard waste collection event for Fayette County. The acceptance of which obligates the urban county government to the expenditure of $27,500 as a local match and authorizing the mayor to transfer unencumbered funds from the grant budget, item eight. A resolution of the Lexington Fair Urban County Government accepting the supplemental grant of $990,202 for the East Hickman Pump Station Expansion Rehabilitation Project, the acceptance of which does not obligate the urban county government to the expenditure funds and approving the supplemental grant assistance agreement authorizing the amendment of the Lexington Fair Urban County Government's annual budget and authorizing a representative to sign all related documents, item nine. A resolution ratifying the permanent classified civil service appointments of Abigail Herald, telecommunicator senior. Grade 519N, 28.180, hourly in the division of Enhancement 111, effective February 11th, 2020, since Candace Mills. Administrative specialist principal, grade 520N, 30.168, hourly in the division of Fire and Emergency Services, effective February 11th, 2026. Catrice Smoot, custodial supervisor, grade 517N, 25.536, hourly in the facilities and fleet management, effective February 25th, 2026. Item 10, a resolution authorizing the commission of environmental quality and public works as mayor's designee to execute any and all future agreements with homeowners associations and neighborhood associations to grant permission for volunteer snow and ice removal services on LFUCG streets. In specified residential areas in exchange for a waiver and release relating thereto. At news cost to the urban county government and item 11, a resolution authorizing the director of the mayor on behalf of or her designee on behalf of the urban county government and the Lexington Fair Urban County Government Public Facilities Corporation to execute a grant lease agreement awarding pursuant to RFP number 35-2025, Haley Pike Solar Lease. And any additional necessary documents related thereto, except the community benefit agreement referenced therein, which shall require separate approval by the urban county council prior to the execution with the solar impact solar LLC. Releasing approximately 357 acres of the Haley Pike landfill for the development, construction, and operation of a solar photovoltaic project in consideration of anticipated revenue in the amount of $30,345 as a base lease payment in the first year. Item 12, a resolution authorizing the director of the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute an agreement with iConnective LLC for a database at a cost not to exceed $6,000. Item 13, a resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute a field placement education agreement with Eastern Kentucky University for placement of student interns with the Division of Parks and Recreation at no cost to the urban county government. Item 14, a resolution authorizing the director of the mayor on behalf of the county government to execute a professional services agreement with Taylor Martin to serve as a sexual assault nurse examiner at a cost not to exceed $96,667. Item 15, a resolution authorizing the Division of Fire and Emergency Services to purchase cardiac monitors from Zoll, a socialist provider, and authorizing mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute any necessary agreement with Zoll related to the procurement at a cost not to exceed $73,500. Item 16, a resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute an agreement ordering a class B infrastructure incentive grant to the sanctuary of the Lexington LLC for a stormwater quality project at a cost not to exceed $211,155.49. Item 17, a resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute a first amendment to the agreement with Central Christian Church, Disciples of Christ Incorporated, extending the period of performance through April 30, 2026, and further authorizing the mayor to execute any other necessary amendments or agreements related to the use of these funds. Item 18, a resolution authorizing the director of the mayor on behalf of the county government to accept grant funds in the amount of $6,745 from the National Association of Police Athletic Activities League Incorporated for the Division of Police PAL program. No match is required. And authorizing the mayor to transfer unaccounted funds in the grant budget. Item 19, a resolution authorizing the mayor or the chief information officer, as the mayor's designee, on behalf of the urban county government, to execute the necessary documents for the Lexington Fair Urban County Government to enter into a limited engagement contract and statement of work with DeLero Incorporated, the UKG vendor partner, supporting Legacy Corona's timekeeping environment support services at a cost estimated not to exceed $6,000 by 2026. And further authorizing the mayor or the chief information officer, as the mayor's designee, to execute any future documents necessary for the operation, support, or maintenance of the same, with any additional cost subject to the appropriation of sufficient funds. Item 20, a resolution authorizing and directing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute a memorandum of understanding with the Children's Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass for Victim Services. Item 21, a resolution authorizing and directing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute an agreement with the affiliation with Bluegrass Crime Stoppers Incorporated for funding by a dollar fee added to the court costs. Item 22, a resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the urban county government to execute an agreement pursuant to RFP number 45-2025 with caption advantage LLC for closed captioning services for the urban county government at a cost estimated not to exceed $66,000 in FY 26 with the cost of services provided in future fiscal years subject to sufficient funds being appropriated, item 23. A resolution authorizing the director mayor on behalf of the county government to execute agreements related to the neighborhood development funds with Fiat Alliance Incorporated, 1500 Community Inspired Lexington Incorporated, 6000 Idol Hour Neighborhood Alliance 650 Lexington Community Porch, LLC 1000. Fiat County Farm Bureau Education Foundation Incorporated, 500 Young Men's Christian Association of Central Kentucky Incorporated, 500 Bryan Station Traditional Magnet School PTSA Incorporated, 950 Marafiki Center Incorporated, 2600 Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation Incorporated, 1200 Lexington Children's Museum Incorporated, 1750 Lexington Leadership Foundation Incorporated, 900 The Lyric Theater and Cultural Arts Center Incorporated, 900 A Caring Place Incorporated, $1,150 for the Office of the Urban County Council at a cost not to exceed the sum stated. And item 24, a resolution authorizing the director mayor on behalf of the county government to execute agreements related to the council capital project expenditure funds with McConnell's Trace Neighborhood Association Incorporated, $2,000 and LFUCG Division of Streets and Roads, $12,000 for the Office of the Urban County Council at a cost not to exceed the sum stated. Thank you. Thank you very much. I know Councilmember Morton has been trying to log in, but it keeps going away, so Councilmember. Thank you, Mayor. I just would like to make a motion. I'm going to move to postpone item number 11 under second reading of resolutions to the council meeting for March 26. So moved. Second. Councilmember Curtis seconds. Are there any questions? Councilmember Reynolds, about the motion. Is there anyone here that can speak to if that would be an issue? Yes, Commissioner Albright or, okay. I think Mr. Douglas has spoken to some of the members and is going to speak. Okay, thank you. Could you speak to if postponing it two weeks would be an issue for the project or if it would help resolve this issue that we've discussed tonight? Yes, Councilmember Reynolds. In our conversations with Edlin Renewables, as you know, we've delayed this three weeks. They are up against the big beautiful bill timeline is what they're up against. They have to start construction by June 30th of this year. So a delay of two weeks is going to further put them in a crunch. I think when Mr. Edlin was here a few weeks ago, he said, I could give you a week. And you actually, you ended up being two more weeks when he said it would be a week. So it would be significant and I can't speak for them, but it does sound like that would potentially put the project at risk. So if we don't postpone it, what guarantee would we have that some sort of resolution might happen with these folks that spoke tonight about their concerns? We first reached out to the Model Airplane Club in September. We didn't hear back until January. And we have been informing them since January of the process, what was going on. So we've talked through it. So they were aware of the dates of the previous hearings. So I don't know what can be done. If we delayed two weeks, I don't know what we would be able to negotiate in two weeks that we haven't been able to negotiate since September. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Anyone else wish to speak to the motion? Log in, please. Can you log in, or is it Council Member Brown? Thank you, Mayor. And Mr. Dugas, my question is, if we move forward with Item 11 today, and it's just a resolution, and from my understanding, it's just so the Eland Renewables can continue the process and do more research about what the total development of that site is going to look like. But there are still things that they have to come back to us to get approval on with the industrial revenue bonds. I think a motion was made for the community benefits agreement to come back to us. Does moving forward with this piece prevent us from continuing to try to work to a solution to the model airplane situation? Can we approve this and still probably come to an agreement or have the flexibility to work out an arrangement? So I'm going to answer your question in two parts. You asked in two parts. The first part is, yes, Eland Renewables will have to come back at least twice more for two more votes, one on the industrial revenue bond and one on the community benefits. Community benefits would be just the agreement that we agree, which is part of this lease. So essentially, you've approved the amount of the community benefits, it's just what the details of the community benefits. So yes, they would come back for both of those through here. Now, once this property goes under lease to Eland Renewables, one of the things that I'll call attention to is that KRS 511.100 prohibits the overflight of electrical power generation facilities by unmanned aircraft systems. And so during the negotiation process, we did have discussions with Eland Renewables regarding whether there would be the potential for any shared use facility. because again, we worked through all this without even any asking from the model airplane club. So we actually asked all those questions, we worked through it. They reached out to their insurance provider, their insurance provider said absolutely not, that's too much of a liability. So if this moves forward, the proposal that they've talked about of a shared use facility is probably technically not available for Eland Renewables, just simply because their insurance provider. So by statute, the model planes would not be able to fly over the solar system. And again, the adjacent property is going to be the East Kentucky Power Cooperative. So the next 400 acres over is also going to be a solar facility that can't be overflown. So just another part of the question is, so if this agreement goes forward tonight, is it language in there that sets a date on when they need to stop operating their model airplane operation? Is that immediate, or is there still time for them to continue to operate while we work on a solution? So we gave, in the September notice, we gave them notice in September that their lease, which is effective through April 27th, would not be renewed. So as of April 22nd of this year, their lease is no longer in process. We can't lease the same property to two separate entities. So. Okay. Okay, that answers my question. Thank you. All right, Council Member Curtis. Thank you, Mayor. I just have a quick question. Is anybody from Edel and Renewables in the room? I'm going to take that as a no. But that is particularly frustrating for me, as this is a citizen council, which is made up of people who volunteer to run for this office. And considering that this is something that is requiring of a high level of subject matter experience, I do wish we had somebody here who could speak to that. So since we do not, I suppose we will just have to make our decisions as uninformed elected officials. So, thank you, Mayor. All right, next is Council Member Morton. Thank you. Well, I just had one follow up question. Can you just share the amount that we agreed to with that CBA? You mentioned that we approved an amount. What amount did we agree to? I'd have to go back and get my notes, but I believe it was roughly $30,000. Is that? I can go back and get my notes. I have it open. It says at a minimum rate of 250 per megawatt DC. So at a minimum. So it's still to be negotiated? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Well, that's the only question I had. I will say that I made this motion because I think there is some time that needs to be taken to figure this out. Just listening in, it's almost, if you look at the investments that have been put into this property just within this time, there's more investment put into this property than we're going to even receive through the lease agreement in almost 20 years. That speaks out for itself. But somebody also mentioned tangible benefits, community benefits, community assets. And I think that's also important to think about as well. I thought that hit home. But that's also, I think that we do need to take some time to look at this. So that's why I made that motion, and I hope folks support it. All right. Council Member Ellinger. Thank you, Mayor. This is a tough decision because I really feel for you all, but it looks like the two can't. And you don't, please don't leave yet because I might have something for you. But Sally, could you come up to the podium if you don't mind, please? CAO Hamilton. It doesn't appear that they can coexist. I think they need 56 acres. Is that what was brought up in the 650-foot? Correct. The proposal from Newton's Attic was 54 acres of the 68 that they currently lease. And you said it earlier, but will you pledge that we'll try to come up with a solution by April 22nd and work with them to do something to try to see if we could have an area that we can move to so we can keep this program? Because obviously it's been very unique and very important to our community going forward. Yes, and what I would intend to do, and I'm certainly not questioning anything that was said here, but I think we have to go back and double check exactly and come to you unequivocally with the fact that the airplane club can't go on that space. I have not dealt with that. And I would like to go through all of that again to make sure that it can. And then at the same time, be looking for alternate places and how that would be financed. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Sheehan. Thank you, Mayor. Could I ask the Newton's Attic person a question about the proposal? Because I think it relates to this. Okay. Yes. In your proposal that was the 50 acre proposal, would you need to fly outside of that space or is that just like take off and landing space? Do you need extra air? Right, that's a great question. We would need extra air. Okay. Yeah, we would need. That is the immediate operating site that would, it would, I don't know how many of you got a chance. I know it was late. I only found out about this threat two weeks ago, so I've been working my butt off trying to get something to you guys. And I got it here, you know, late today and I apologize. I couldn't have it earlier, but we would separate it into two distinct activities. One would be flying activities where the immediate operations of the club would happen, but they would need overflight beyond that. And the other part of the facility would be an education development that we would look forward to. So we would operate not just aerospace programs, but some of our other outdoor programs that we do need extra space. Bill right here, he's the founder of Newton's Attic. And I can tell you everything he does needs a forklift, so we need space. And so we would definitely put it to good use. Okay. And then do you, if you're flying, I guess I have to join the club now too. So all these questions, do you have to fly in a certain direction? So if the solar fields were over here and there's airspace over here, do you have to go in all directions? In the past, the club has respected and operated under rules that restricted the directions that we can fly. And other sites do that. The club in Louisville at Tom Sawyer State Park has a restriction on directions that they can fly. So that is a feasible solution. And this is where the thoughtful design comes in. If we can locate the solar development in such a way that the aircraft could still fly, have room to fly, but not encroach on that space. And I don't know. I mean, this is why I was asked for a pause, is I don't know. But I do think it's possible. If well-meaning people get in the room, we're pretty smart here. We can probably figure this out. Yeah, it sounds like a lot of engineers and aerospace people don't tend to be smart. We do the stuff we're living. I mean, yeah, we can figure it out. And then my other question just left my mind. So the directions and the takeoff, oh, the FAA approval. So you have that now because you were somewhat got an exemption because you were flying before the rules went into place. What could you, we only have two minutes on the clock there. So is there a brief explanation you could tell me about what a new approval would entail? You know, I would have to research that. I know they had special rules in place because they introduced new rules that affected, just like we're talking to you here today about 60 years of history. There's been a century of history of this, of model aviation in the country more than, and they knew it was going to affect them. So they basically gave us relaxed rules to grandfather in existing flying sites. And then after a certain time period, which has expired, there's new rules that are much, much, much more. They didn't want to do it at all. But the public got them to at least put some limited room in there. But it's really tough. Okay, thank you for those answers. I am going to support the motion for the postponement in the hopes that at least within the community benefits plan, there can be some agreement to work towards a solution that could be then approved later with the community benefits plan when that comes back to us. But I do want a little bit of time for this to work out because I think we are looking at a new proposal. But I also, I think there could be a little bit more continued conversation. So thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council Member Savigny. Thank you, Mayor. I've got a question for you, Mr. Dugas. Just real quick, what's the lease cancellation clause again on this one, on this new Haley Pike lease? Is it 30 days or do you remember? I would not want to say without looking at it because it's a 39 page lease. I know, I can't remember what it was either, okay. My general concern is you brought up the delay piece. First of all, this is actually when he said we could delay a week, this is the actual meeting because we didn't have another council meeting. So this has not affected anything so far. So I just want to kind of set that record straight. And then his lease doesn't start until April 27th. So I actually don't see a huge problem with delaying two weeks because to be honest with you, it doesn't really matter. It's these people's property right now. I don't know exactly what he's going to use the lease for. I think we could sign a letter of intent to do a lease, but I don't know what he, he didn't really explain what he needed that for and since he's not here, I don't know exactly what he needs that for. Do you know? Yeah, Council Member Savigny, we already signed the letter of intent. They actually need, he actually needs the lease in hand in order to execute their finance documents is I believe what they said. Their finance documents. Right, to actually start the process on their financial package. They have to have what's called control of the ground. They have to have a signed lease. Okay, all right, thank you, that's all I have. All right, thank you. Motion on the floor is to postpone item number 11, I believe, until March the 26th. Is that your motion? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Now, do you have, is there a motion to approve? And we'll have this. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Second by Council Member Sheehan, and if you'll take a roll call vote, please. Council Member Sheehan? Council Member Curtis? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Eblen? Council Member Ellinger? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Elliott Baxter? Council Member Hale? Council Member Higgins-Horde? Council Member Lynch? Recuse from item 23, yes to the rest. Thank you. Council Member Morton? Council Member Reynolds? Yes. Council Member Savigny? Council Member Sheehan? Yes. Vice Mayor Wu? Yes. Council Member Beasley? Yes, ma'am. Council Member Boone? Yes, ma'am. And Council Member Brown? Yes. Thank you. All right, thank you. Those all pass, and now we're ready for first reading of resolutions. Item 25, a resolution authorizing the Director of the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute a release of easement releasing a sanitary sewer easement on property located at 3855 Fountain Blue Lane, item 26. A resolution authorizing the Director of the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to approve an amendment to the Solid Waste Management Plan for 2023 through 2027 at a cost not to exceed $562.44 for advertising, item 27. A resolution authorizing the Director of the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute a purchase of service agreement with .1 USA LLC for bomb technician training at a cost not to exceed $60,000, item 28. A resolution authorizing the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute a professional services agreement order pursuant to RFP number 32-2025 with Perez Planning Plus Design LLC for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Project at a cost not to exceed $442,500 for part one, phases one and two. And with the cost of part two subject to the sufficient funds being appropriated for in future fiscal years, item 29. A resolution authorizing the Director of the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an agreed order with the Commonwealth of Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet to resolve permit violations at the West Hickman Wastewater Treatment Plant and further authorizing payment of a civil penalty in the amount of $5,000 to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky State Treasurer, item 30. A resolution accepting the bid of LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction in the amount of $597,000 for the Deerhaven Park Development for the Division of Parks and Recreation and authorizing the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an agreement with LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction related to the bid, item 31. A resolution accepting the bid of LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction in the amount of $5,126,500 for the LFD Fire Training Academy Phase 1 Site Development for the Department of General Services and authorizing the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an agreement with LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction related to the bid, item 32. A resolution accepting the bid of CY LLC DBA Lean Fest to salvaging a price contract for catering services for the Family Care Center for the Department of Social Services and authorizing the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to get an current catering agreement with CY LLC DBA Lean Fest and further authorizing the Director of Procurement or his designee to execute any other necessary documents related to the price contract, item 33. A resolution ratifying the permanent classified civil service appointments of Philip Smith Street Sweeper Grade 515N 23.638 hourly in the Division of Streets and Roads effective February 25th, 2026. Andy Rosenbaum, Producer, Grade 518N, 27.364 hourly in the Division of Government Communications effective March 8th, 2026, item 34. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute change number one to the agreement with Friends of Rural Front Incorporated for a storm water quality project for the Division of Water Quality decreasing the contract by the sum of $8,504.24 from $53,020 to $44,515.76, item 35. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an agreement with Eastern Kentucky University for student field placement opportunities, item 36. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an agreement with Bluegrass Community and Technical College for clinical experience for paramedic students, item 37. A resolution authorizing the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute a sponsorship agreement with Temerity Baseball Team 3 and LCDBA the Lexington Legends for the display and recruiting advertisement during the 2026 season for the Department of Public Safety at a cost of just $24,000, item 38. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an amendment to the agreement with Repairers of the Breach Incorporated in order to add a location to the project service area and further authorizing the Mayor to execute any other amendments with Repairers of the Breach Incorporated related to the agreement, item 39. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an agreement with St. Joseph Health System Incorporated for use of the emergency room as a clinical practice area, item 40. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to accept a grant from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Office of Highway Safety for participation in the Traffic Safety Program, which grant funds are in the amount of $231,310 in federal funds, no local matches required, and authorizing the Mayor to transfer unencumbered funds within the grant budget, item 41. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute an amendment to the agreement with Risk Management Services Company for third party administrator for claims management services and claims adjustment handling services for workers' compensation, federal liability and physical damage, general liability and property claims to authorize additional one year extension of current contract pricing at a cost estimated not to exceed $419,600 plus 20% of subrogation in FY 2027, item 42. A resolution authorizing the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to enter in a statement of work with IO Solution Incorporated for testing applicants for the Division of Fire and Emergency Services for recruit firefighter positions at a cost not to exceed $1,875, item 43. A resolution authorizing the Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to enter into a statement of work with CPSHR Consulting for Fire Lieutenant, Fire Captain, and Fire Major Promotional Process for the Division of Fire and Emergency Services at a cost not to exceed $155,250 in item 44. A resolution authorizing the Director of Mayor on behalf of McKenna Government to execute a memorandum of understanding with the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts. As the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts agrees to make monthly reimbursement payments to the Lexington Fair Urban County Government for construction services costs of the roof replacement project at the Robert F. Stevens Circuit and District Courthouses with a combined state funding total not to exceed $4,169,706.28. Thank you. All right, thank you very much. Are there any walk-ons? Council? Are there any motions to suspend the rules and give second reading? Council Member Reynolds. Thank you, Mayor. On behalf of the administration, I move to suspend the rules and give second reading to item 31. This is for the Fire Trading Academy Site Development Bid Award. Is there a second? Council Member Baxter? Seconds? Any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, thank you. I also have another item. On behalf of the administration, I move to suspend the rules and give second reading to item 37. This is the Lexington Baseball Agreement, and this is a sponsor for public safety recruiting display ads. Is there a second? Second. Council Member Curtis. Any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that passes. Council Member Boone. Thank you, Mayor. On behalf of the administration, I move to suspend the rules and give second reading to Resolution 197-26, a bid award for Deerheaven Park Development. So moved. Thank you. Council Member Curtis seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that passes. Council Member Sheehan. Thank you, Mayor. I have two. On behalf of the administration, I move to suspend the rules and give second reading to item number 28. This is the Professional Services Agreement for the Parks Master Plan. Second. Council Member Reynolds seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. And the second one, on behalf of the administration, I move to suspend the rules and give second reading to item number 44. This is the agreement between us and the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts for them to make monthly reimbursement payments to us for the Courthouse Roof Project. Second. Thank you, Vice Mayor Wu seconds. Are there any questions? All those in favor say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Are there any other motions? All right, we have 28, 30, 31, 37, and 44, correct? So when you're ready, if you'll give those second reading. Item 28, a resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the Oregonian government to execute a professional services agreement awarded pursuant to RFP number 32-2025 with Perez Planning Plus Design LLC for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Project at a cost not to exceed $442,500 for Part 1, Phases 1 and 2, with the cost of Part 2 subject to sufficient funds being appropriated in future fiscal years. Item 30, a resolution accepting the bid of LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction in the amount of $597,000 for the Deer Haven Park Development for the Division of Parks and Recreation and authorizing the mayor on behalf of the Oregonian government to execute an agreement with LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction related to the bid, item 31. A resolution accepting the bid of LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction in the amount of $5,126,500 for the LFD Fire Training Academy Phase 1 site development for the Department of General Services and authorizing the mayor on behalf of the Oregonian government to execute an agreement with LM Asphalt Partners, LTD DBA ATS Construction related to the bid, item 37. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the Oregonian government to execute a sponsorship agreement with Temerity Baseball Team 3, LLC DBA The Lexington Legends for the display of recruiting advertisements during the 2026 season for the Department of Public Safety at a cost not to exceed $24,000, and item 44. A resolution authorizing the mayor on behalf of the Oregonian government to execute a memorandum of understanding with the Kentucky Administrative Offices of the Courts. As the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts agrees to make monthly reimbursement payments to the Lexington Fair Urban County government for the construction services cost of the roof replacement project at the Robert F. Stephens Circuit and District Courthouses with a combined state funding total not to exceed $4,169,764.28, thank you. Is there a motion to approve? Thank you, Council Member Ellinger, seconded by Council Member Curtis. And when you're ready, if you'll do a roll call vote, please. Council Member Curtis. Yes ma'am. Council Member Eblen. Council Member Ellinger. Yes ma'am. Council Member Elliott Baxter. Yes ma'am. Council Member Hale. Council Member Higgins-Ward. Council Member Lynch. Yes. Council Member Morton. Council Member Reynolds. Yes. Council Member Sviggny. Council Member Chen. Yes. Vice Mayor Woo. Yes. Council Member Beesley. Yes ma'am. Council Member Boone. Yes ma'am. And Council Member Brown. Yes. Thank you. All right, thank you. Those all pass. Council Members, communications from the Mayor. Appointments. I'll entertain a motion. Council Member Baxter. Second by Council Member Morton. Any questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, thank you. That passes. Communications from the Mayor. Donations. I have a motion. I'll move. Vice Mayor Woo. Second by Council Member Morton. Are there questions? All those in favor, say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that passes. And the final communications from there is procurements. We do have some. So moved. Vice Mayor Woo and second by Council Member Baxter. Are there questions? All those in favor, please say aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. There are several items for your information only. And that brings us to disciplines. We do have two fire disciplines, and Chief Wells will present those. Welcome, Chief. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Council. I do have two for you tonight. On Thursday, December 18th, 2025, an internal allegation was made that Firefighter Charles Ashford, 53145, violated UDG 1.11, Late Tardy and AWOL. At the conclusion of the investigation, the employee met with me and accepted a written reprimand. This is Firefighter Ashford's first documented offense of UDG 1.11 since his employment in May of 2016 and stems from failure to report on time to a scheduled assignment. Move to approve. Second. Thank you, Councilmember Morton. Second by Councilmember Curtis. Are there questions for Chief Wells? All right, all those in favor of approval, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you. On Tuesday, February 10th, 2026, an internal allegation was made that Firefighter Trayvon Runyon, 62992, violated UDG 1.11, Late Tardy and AWOL. At the conclusion of the investigation, the employee met with me and accepted a written reprimand. This is Firefighter Runyon's first documented offense of UDG 1.11 since his employment in October of 2023 and stems from accumulating two tardies and one late within a 12-month period. Second. Vice Mayor Wu. Second by Councilmember Reynolds. Are there questions? All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Is anyone opposed? All right, that motion passes. Thank you, Chief. Thank you all. All right, now's the time for Council announcements. Councilmember Lynch. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to let my neighbors know that Happening Tomorrow at the Black and Williams Neighborhood Center is a program that's sponsored by Work Lexington. It's called From Surviving to Thriving. It's a financial resource fair that will be happening from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Black and Williams. It's a free event, so please come out and find out how you can become financially secure. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Councilmember Curtis. Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to take a second and thank the members of Laborers Local 189 for being here in the room tonight. Y'all have seen them around these chambers more often recently. It's always a highlight of my day when I see them in the audience for a council meeting, so I just wanted to say thank you and appreciate y'all showing up for items that are of interest to you. Thanks. Councilmember Beasley. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to announce that on Sunday is the first anniversary of Pastor Richard Harless, who came in at our invocation in December, and Sister Rose Harless at Bethsaida Baptist Church on Old Tate Creek Road, if y'all would like to go out there for that. This past week, I met with this young man named Milo at Tate Creek Middle School. Luckily for me, he lives in District 7 and not in 8. He emailed me earlier to ask if we would raise taxes in order to fix the infrastructure problems here in town. In eighth grade, they don't pay taxes, so we had to have conversations about why that wouldn't work, but I was grateful that he reached out to meet with us. Good luck, Councilmember Hale, and he gets old enough to run for your seat. And then Commissioner Lantern and I went to a new build that we have in District 8, and it's going to be affordable senior housing, and the apartments are all coming in already built. So they come in on a truck, they unstack them, the floors are already in, the electrical's already in. So from start to finish, the project will take about 12 months. They're actually up, and you can walk through them. They told us we could come back and walk inside one by Monday. So I'll be going back to do that, but it's gonna be great how fast we'll be able to move construction forward to help with our affordable housing and our homeless issue with projects like this. So it was a brand new builder. It's the first time we've ever done something like this here in town, and I appreciate all the hard work that everybody put into this. I also appreciate 189 for showing up all the time and staring at me. I appreciate that. All right, thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Council Member Sheehan. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to make one quick announcement that this weekend is the St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival. The festival starts on Friday night with a concert at the Lyric. Doors open at 6, and performances start at 6.15. There's a few different performers, and it's headlined by Carbon Leaf. And then on Saturday, there's the Shamrock Shuffle in the morning, which I know one of our colleagues is going to be at. And then there's a festival downtown, and the parade is at one o'clock. So I hope to see folks there. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. That brings us to public comment for issues not on the agenda. And we have one speaker, and so when I call on you, you'll need to be sure and repeat your name for the record and your council district. And it's Gary Jones. Welcome. Eleven's my district. My name is Gary Jones. I was here last time, trying to get used to all this. You have my name, and I'm just bringing up, the first issue involves ongoing noise, disturbances, vehicles extremely loud, modified exhaust systems, driving through residential streets, particular intersections, engines revving. It is resonating into the ground and up through foundations and into the home. I have kids, bothers my kids. The second issue is broader concern, aggressive, disruptive type of driving can affect the residents. It's a call for safety in our own neighborhoods. Several occasions I have experienced vehicles driving in ways that intentionally intimidating, including following me at a distance, cutting in front of me, slowing down, shouting insults, whether intentional or not, repeating incidents like this create a feeling that you're being singled out or monitored in your own community. Neighborhood safety programs, community engagement efforts should strengthen trust in our neighborhoods and not create tension. My hope is that the city can ensure that the residents have clear channels for reporting ongoing disturbances or harassment and the enforcement existing noise and traffic laws remain consistent. I have reported this to the police department on several occasions and I just don't see any action. I mean, they do what they can, but it's a consistent thing right on my block. So that's it. Thank you very much. All right, council, that brings us to the end of our agenda. Is there a motion to adjourn? So moved. Second. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. We are adjourned. Thank you everyone for coming. Thank you.